Lenapehoking

Lenapehoking means "homelands of the Lenape" and refers to the traditional lands of the Lenape people. In the 16th and 17th centuries, these lands stretched along the Eastern seaboard from western Connecticut to Delaware. The area also included land near the Delaware and lower Hudson rivers.

Beginning in the 17th century, European settlers arrived in Lenapehoking. This brought many challenges for the Lenape, including new diseases and loss of land. By the 18th and 19th centuries, the United States government made the Lenape move to new areas, mainly in the American Midwest, such as Oklahoma.

Today, Lenape communities live in several places including Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and Ontario. These communities keep their traditions and history alive even though their original lands have changed over time.

Etymology

The name Lënapehòkink means "in the land of the Lenape". It is made up of three parts: Lënape, meaning "real person" or "original person"; hòki, meaning "land"; and -nk, a word ending that shows location. This name became well-known when a Lenape person named Nora Thompson Dean shared it in 1970. Today, many places use this name to honor the Lenape people.

Another old Lenape word for this area is Scheyischbi or Scheyichbi, which often refers especially to New Jersey.

Territorial extent

When Europeans first arrived in the 16th and 17th centuries, the Lenape homeland stretched along the Atlantic coast from western Connecticut to Delaware. It included areas near the Delaware and lower Hudson rivers, as well as the land between them.

The Lenape lived as far west as the Catskills and parts of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Their land reached into New Jersey and parts of New York State, including areas around present-day New York City.

Present day

Today, many indigenous people live in areas like the Northeast megalopolis and the Eastern Seaboard. Some members of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, including the Mohawk Nation, moved to cities such as New York City and helped build important structures there.

Lenape nations now have lands in places like Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and Ontario. These include the Delaware Nation, the Delaware Tribe of Indians, the Stockbridge-Munsee Community, the Munsee-Delaware Nation, the Moravian of the Thames First Nation, and the Delaware of Six Nations.

Lenape place names

Lenape place names are used throughout the region. Here are some examples from different areas.

New York

Manhattan

• Manhattan comes from Manna-hata, a Dutch version of a Lenape name. It means 'island of many hills'.
• Sapohanikan was a place where the Lenape lived and grew food.
• Nechtanc was another place where the Lenape lived along a river.

Staten Island

• Aquehonga was a name for Staten Island.
• Manacknong was another name for Staten Island.
• Shawkopoke was a place where the Lenape lived and grew food.

Brooklyn

• Nayack or Wichquawanck was a place where the Lenape lived.
• Gowanus Canal was named after a Lenape leader called Gouwane.

Queens

• Rockaway comes from a Lenape word meaning 'a sandy place'.
• Maspeth was home to a Lenape group living along a creek.

Westchester County

• Mamaroneck comes from a Lenape word meaning 'striped stream or river'.
• Tuckahoe is one of the place names from this area.
• Quarropas_ means 'the white plains or marshes'.

New Jersey

• Absecon means 'little water'.
• Hackensack means 'stream flowing into another on a plain'.
• Hoboken means 'where pipes are traded'.

Pennsylvania

• Catasauqua means 'thirsty ground'.
• Conshohocken means 'pleasant valley'.
• Moyamensing means 'place of judgment'.